Why Smart People Believe Dumb Things
Plus, good lessons from bad bosses and other big ideas we came across this week
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
How common knowledge and rationality make the world go ‘round
Harvard psychologist
shares five key insights from his brand new book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows. He reveals how “common knowledge” — the hidden force of knowing what others know — shapes everything from financial bubbles and political revolutions to why we say “Netflix and chill.” Then we revisit our 2021 conversation with Steve about rationality, where he explains why smart people believe dumb things, why we’re terrible at assessing risk, and how our species can be both brilliantly rational and spectacularly irrational at the same time. Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.Book Bite of the Week
What good leaders can learn from bad bosses
The silver lining that comes from working for a bad boss? You can learn what not to do. In the new book The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses, Mita Malick shares the lessons she learned over an extensive career as a marketing and human resources executive. Now, Mita is a corporate adviser, a LinkedIn Top Voice and a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Adweek, and Entrepreneur.
Pick up a copy of the book on Amazon or check out Mita's summary here on the Next Big Idea app.
This week, Book of the Day is brought to you by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and Harvard Professor of Psychology Steven Pinker. In his newest book When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…, Steven invites us to understand the ways we try to get into each other’s heads and the harmonies, hypocrisies, and outrages that result. Pick up your copy today.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
You may or may not know the name Naval Ravikant, but in Silicon Valley he’s revered as both a sharp investor and a philosopher of modern life. Eric Jorgenson’s 2020 bestseller The Almanack of Naval Ravikant distilled Naval’s wisdom on how to build wealth and happiness without depending on luck, (and he’s just released a new edition of the book with a forward by Tim Ferriss. Have a listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
First Look Club
Get free books before they’re published, and share your opinions.
For over 10 years, the Next Big Idea Club has connected curious minds with the most exciting new books and authors. Now, the First Look Club takes that mission even further — putting advance copies of upcoming books in the hands of the people who can help them shine before they hit the shelves.
If you’re willing to share your honest opinions on platforms like Amazon, Goodreads, or your own social channels, we’ll send you free advance copies of exciting new books.
Whether you’re a passionate reader or a fellow author, your voice can help launch the next big idea into the world.
Happy Pub Week!
You might notice a few new books at the bookstore this week, including NBIC must-reads like the aforementioned When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . . by
, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson, Goliath’s Curse by , The Fear Knot by Natasha Swalve and Ruth DeFoster, Humanish by , Psychobabble by , Having It All by , Choose Wisely by Barry Schwartz and Richard Schuldenfrei, The Biology of Trauma by Aimie Apigian, and On Drugs by Justin Smith-Ruiu.